5 Ways A Freshman Congressman Is Leading the D.C. Resistance

It’s not often that a freshman Congressman makes such a splash in D.C. Though since our founding PANDA has focused on the state and local levels, this young Representative’s name keeps coming across our radar, and for good reason.

When it comes to resisting the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), there is no greater champion on the Hill than Michigan Representative Justin Amash. Here are 5 reasons he is leading the NDAA Resistance on Capitol Hill:

2. He introduced the Smith-Amash amendment the year after the 2012 NDAA passed

Talk is cheap, particularly in politics. Yet Rep. Amash did more than just talk. Together with Adam Smith (D-WA), Amash introduced the Smith-Amash amendment to repeal the detention provisions in the 2012 NDAA. Though it failed in the House, Amash was able to successfully show that Republicans were complete hypocrites when they talk about Constitutional rights. The amendment failed 237-182.

3. He heralded the Smith-Gibson Amendment in 2013, and Smith-Broun in 2014

Not to be deterred by the failure of his last amendment, Amash supported the identical Smith-Gibson Amendment the next year, once again to repeal the detention provisions hidden in the 2012 NDAA. This time, Amash and smith were able to gather an even larger coalition of Representatives, bringing the vote to a much closer loss of only 200-226. He voted “yea” once again on the Smith-Broun amendment in 2014, bringing the total times he supported an amendment to repeal the detention provisions to three.

One of the most dangerous threats to true liberty is false security. How better to disable a resistance movement, than, while changing nothing, convincing them they have won?

Amash has so far had none of that. He correctly spoke out against the Feinstein-Lee Amendment in 2012, a false fix heraldedbymany as the end of NDAA indefinite detention, even when powerful Senators like Rand Paul and Mike Lee supported it.